Madree Penn White

Madree Penn White (November 21, 1892 – January 31, 1967) was an American editor, educator, businesswoman and suffragist. She was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta, and the sorority's second president.

Madree Penn White
Madree Penn White, from the 1914 yrarbook of Howard University
Born
Madree Penn

November 21, 1892
Atchison, Kansas
DiedJanuary 31, 1967 (aged 74)
Shaker Heights, Ohio
OccupationEditor, educator, suffragist, businesswoman
Known forOne of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta

Early life and education

Madree Penn was born in Atchison, Kansas, and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of John Penn and Mattie Gordon Penn. In 1908 she took second prize in an essay contest about the work of Robert Burns.[1] In 1909 she represented the Literary and Historical Society of Omaha in an oratory contest, with a speech titled "Standard Bearers".[2] She graduated from Central High School in Omaha in 1909.[3]

Penn graduated from Howard University in 1914. At Howard, she was the first woman editor of the school newspaper, an officer of the campus YWCA and NAACP chapters. She was one of the 22 founding members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She was president of Delta Sigma Theta from 1913 to 1919.[4][5] She marched in the 1913 women's suffrage march in Washington, D.C. with her sorority.[6][7] In 1914, she won first prize with in a scholarship contest held by the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes.[8]

Career

Penn was one of the women who met at the White House with President Warren G. Harding about women's suffrage in 1920.[9] She was executive secretary of the YWCA in Charlotte, North Carolina.[5] She was president of the Kaffir Chemical Laboratories in Omaha.[10] She was associate editor of the Omaha Monitor, and of the Howard University Alumni Journal. She owned and managed a printing company, Triangle Press Company, in St. Louis, Missouri.[11] She taught Latin at the National Training School for Girls in Washington, D.C., and taught at the Tucker Business College and Douglas University. She was active in the League of Women Voters.[6]

In 1963, White led a Delta Sigma Theta group in the 50th anniversary re-enactment of the 1913 suffrage march in Washington, D.C. In 1966, she was honored by the Cleveland chapter of the League of Women Voters, for her participation in the suffrage movement.[12]

Personal life

Madree Penn married physician James Eathel White, and had two children. They divorced in 1930.[13] She died in 1967, aged 74 years.[6]

References
  1. "Burns Fittingly Honored". Omaha Daily Bee. 1908-01-26. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Afro-American Happenings". The Des Moines Register. 1909-01-31. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Madree Penn White". The Central High School Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  4. Giddings, Paula J. (2009-10-06). In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-198444-0.
  5. Parks, Gregory S. (2008-06-13). Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the 21st Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3872-5.
  6. "Madree Penn White". Delta Sigma Theta of Cleveland. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
  7. Brooks, F. Erik; Starks, Glenn L. (2011-09-30). Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-39415-7.
  8. "National League Social Science Prize Winners; Miss Madree Penn and Maynard H. Jones Win Awards". The Denver Star. 1914-08-08. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Arias, Angelette L. (2002-02-01). "Delta Sigma Theta Enjoys a Rich Legacy". News-Press. p. 151. Retrieved 2022-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Kaffir Chemical Laboratories Incorporate". The Bystander. 1920-02-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Woman Aids Arrest of Bogus Check Passer". Dayton Ohio Daily Express. July 19, 1949. p. 3. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  12. "Madree P. White Honored by League for Suffrage March". Call and Post. April 16, 1966. p. 15. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  13. "Prominent St. Louis Doctor Named". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1930-11-08. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
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